NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — We asked, you answered, and we listened. Earlier this week, we brought you an exclusive story that featured an unidentified creature seen swimming at New Orleans City Park.
The video, captured near the Sculpture Garden by viewer Kim Frusciante, shows some type of aquatic animal at the surface of the water sporting what appears to be a rail tail and dorsal fin.
“It was quite long,” Frusciante told WGNO’s Kenny Lopez. “I have a 4-year-old slightly smaller than it and it was weaving on the surface, and a lot of scales, the tail was red and it was swishing around aimlessly hanging out on the surface much longer than a normal fish.”
WGNO reached out to City Park officials, who are working with their aquatic partners to investigate the animal. Some believe the animal could be a carp, but it’s still uncertain.
Video: Mystery strikes New Orleans after mysterious creature seen swimming through City Park lagoon
In the meantime, our viewers had their own ideas as to what the creature could be — some of them serious, and some of them, well, not so serious.
Many commented that the animal could have been a catfish, aligator gar, or carp. Others said an oversized goldfish, a river dolphin, and the Loch Ness monster.
“It’s the Rougarou!” said another user, referring to the Cajun folk monster with the body of a man and head of a dog or wolf that prowls the Louisiana swamps.
The more we scrolled, the better some of the comments got — for better or worse!
“I’m sorry, I’ll tell my brother to come get his girlfriend right away,” said one Instagram follower.
“Mermaid from Bourbon Street?” said another.
And of course, others tapped into their Louisiana roots of deep frying anything with legs or scales.
“But why hasn’t it been eaten yet? Do we need to start pulling Cajun cards?” a Facebook user commented.
“Does it taste better fried, broiled, or blackened?” added another.
While we still aren’t sure what the animal is, one thing is for sure: everyone loves a good mystery. Be sure to back to WGNO on air and online for updates on this crazy story!
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